Assault of girl triggers Assamese-'outsiders' row, Marwari business persons made to kneel on stage, apologise in minister's presence

The situation became tense when Gauravv Somani, a BJP leader belonging to the Marwari community in Guwahati, lodged an FIR at a Dispur police station against Sringkhal Chaliha, a leader of Lachit Sena, one of the nationalist organisations, who openly threatened the 'non-Assamese' communities.

Guwahati: Alleged assault on a young girl in Assam's Sivasagar district on August 16 triggered an Assamese-"outsider" row resulting in a public apology by a group of Marowari business persons, men and women, on Tuesday in the presence of a state Cabinet Minister Ranoj Pegu.

As the report about assault on the Assamese girl allegedly by a "non-Assamese" person spread, at least 30 Assamese nationalist organisations staged protests and even forced the "non-Assamese" traders to shut their shops and business establishments in Sivasagar.

Two persons belonging to the Marwari community were arrested by police in connection with the case. Following the arrests, the organisations demanded a public apology from the Marowai community of Sivasagar.

The situation became tense when Gauravv Somani, a BJP leader belonging to Marowari community in Guwahati, lodged an FIR at Dispur police station in Guwahati against Sringkhal Chaliha, a leader of Lachit Sena, one of the nationalist organisations, who openly threatened the "non-Assamese" communities. Following this, Ulfa-Independent, a banned insurgent group, issued a statement on Monday asking the BJP leader to withdraw his FIR.

On Tuesday, Somani withdrew his FIR as demanded by Ulfa-I. Sivasagar is believed to be a stronghold of Ulfa-I, a group which claimed to have planted bombs at 24 places during the Independence Day celebrations on August 15. Ulfa-I also issued a threat to "non-Assamese" communities if the FIR was not withdrawn.

The 30 organisations demanded a public apology from the Marwari community, reservation of 80 per cent jobs for Assamese persons in business establishments in Sivasagar, naming the business establishments in Assamese language and compensation for the victim girl.

As the tension grew, Assam cabinet Minister Ranoj Pegu rushed to Sivasagar. On Tuesday, a group of Marowari persons, men and women, knelt on a stage and sought apology publicly as per the demands. Apart from Pegu, deputy commissioner, SP, representatives of the nationalist organisations, local mediapersons, beside others attended it. The Marwari community of Sivasagar also announced compensation of Rs. two lakh for the victim girl.

Sivasagar is an Assamese-dominated district but there is a sizable population of Marwaris, Hindi speaking persons and Bengalis.

After the meeting, Pegu said he attended the event as per the directive of CM Himanta Biswa Sarma. "I expressed deep grief over the incident and empathized with the sentiments of the local community. The sincere apology and expression of regret by the leaders of the Marwari community were commendable steps toward resolving the matter amicably. It is imperative that we remain vigilant in maintaining law and order in Sivasagar, a district where people have lived harmoniously for generations," Pegu posted on X on Tuesday evening.

Pegu belongs to the Mising community, and is the "guardian minister" of Sivasagar.

Sivsagar MLA and leader of Raijor Dal, a regional party, Akhil Gogoi also supported the act.

CM's response:

When asked on Wednesday, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma told reporters in Guwahati that the incident took place due to harassment of a young girl. Sarma also asked people in other districts to similarly raise their voice against harassment of women. "At least 22 women have faced harassment or lost their modesty in the past two months. People should similarly raise voices to prevent similar incidents. There should not be any compromise when it comes to respect for a woman," Sarma said.